What You Come Back To
by tayababy
Summary: CHAP 3 NOW UP! Sequel to WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND Meredith has returned to Seattle with her daughter in tow. What does everyone have to say, and who are her allies, surprisingly?
1. Chapter 1

What You Come Back To

Three years after leaving without a proper explanation, Meredith is returning to Seattle Grace for her promised fellowship position with Evelyn in tow, but not everyone is pleased to see her or her beautiful three year old daughter who looks exactly like her father.

* * *

Chapter One

Florida had never felt like home to Meredith. Sure, she had settled in after Evelyn was born with her roommate Jessica, but Meredith always felt like a guest in the overly sunny town along Miami Beach. But as her residency days were coming to an end, Meredith was finally able to retake her position at Seattle Grace. She could finally go home.

"Evelyn Michaela Grey! You have to get in the car now! We're leaving for the airport in a minute!"

Meredith's three year old daughter ran across the hospital lobby into her waiting arms after saying goodbye to the doctors and nurses she had grown up around.

"We go now?" Evelyn asked her mother as she was buckled into the car seat in Jessica's car.

"Yeah baby, we're going to the airport now. We're going to mummy's home in Seattle."

"Where S'attle?" Evelyn asked in her cute voice.

"Home."

Meredith was lucky Evelyn was tired on the five hour flight from Miami to Seattle; she wouldn't have been able to handle a hyperactive or cranky toddler in a restricted area.

When they finally touched down in Washington and left the terminal, baggage in tow, Meredith was relieved to see Richard Webber waiting outside for them.

"Richard!" she called, letting Evelyn out of her arms to run and hug her grandfather.

"Gwampa Richard!" Evelyn babbled in her typical manner.

Richard was smiling and obviously pleased to see them.

"Hello Mere, hello Evelyn," he greeted. "Are you ready to come back?"

Meredith sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be, let's go."

* * *

The car trip to Seattle Grace Hospital wasn't a long one, but Meredith dreaded it anyway. She didn't want to be seen with Evelyn in front of the never-ending gossip mill once she entered the front doors before she had a chance to announce her return.

"You know I have a secret hallway we can sneak you in," Richard mentioned in passing as they pulled Evelyn out of the car.

"Thank god, you read my mind. Lead the way."

By the time Meredith and Richard reached his office, Evelyn, who was supposed to be following them, had wandered off.

She walked across the big bridge with glass sides taking everything in when she bumped into a tall woman.

"Hello," she said sweetly, picking up the little girl. "What's your name?"

"Evelyn!" she squealed.

The woman was joined by three other people Evelyn didn't know, and she as confused.

"Who you?" she asked the woman holding her.

The four people laughed. "I'm Izzie," she responded.

Evelyn thought for a second before announcing the new person's name.

"Izzie! Who you?" she asked the man next to her.

"Alex."

Evelyn cocked her head to the side for a moment, digesting this new person.

"Awex!" she giggled. "Who you?"

"Christina."

Evelyn stopped for a little longer, trying to wrap her tongue around this hard name.

"Cwissy?" Her response was a laugh from them. "Who you?" she asked the last man.

"George."

Evelyn knew how to say his name. "Gorg!" she announced proudly.

Her four new friends laughed.

"Who do you belong to Evelyn?" Izzie asked.

"Mummy!" she squealed, knowing the answer to that question.

"Who's mummy?" Alex asked.

Evelyn shrugged adorably. "I dunno, she mummy! She dottor!"

"If you ask me, she looks like McDreamy," Christina muttered.

"Well, nobody asked you, did they, Yang?" Alex retorted.

"Shut it, evil spawn," was her immediate response, but the argument was interrupted by Evelyn's squealing again.

"Mummy!" she pointed towards the chief's office where Meredith and Webber had just exited.

Izzie put the girl down, and all four stared at the woman no one had seen for almost four years.

"Mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy," Evelyn babbled as she ran towards the woman who was obviously her mother.

"Baby!" Meredith ducked down to pick up her babbling toddler.

"Mummy," Evelyn said proudly.

Meredith sighed. "Evelyn Michaela Grey, how many times have I told you that you can't run away from mummy or Grandpa Richard," she began.

Richard looked concerned. "Ah, Meredith?" he tried to interrupt.

"Not now, Richard," she said before continuing her lecture. "We might me in mummy's hospital but you have to stay with me all the time…"

"Ah, Meredith," the chief tried again.

"I'm busy Richard," she sighed. "Now, who were you with?"

Evelyn smiled. "Friends!" she pointed towards the four people she had just met who were staring at her intently.

Meredith couldn't believe her eyes. Christina, Izzie, Alex and George were staring at her and her daughter; their mouths wide open in shock.

"Ah, Meredith," Richard tried for a third time.

"Yes?" she asked, the confidence in her voice slowly draining.

"You may want to turn around for this one."

Meredith braced herself for what she couldn't see. Standing behind her with looks of absolute disbelief on their faces were Derek Shepherd, Mark Sloan, Addison Montgomery and Miranda Bailey.

"Hello Meredith."

* * *

The conference room two doors down was filled with people by the time she could speak again.

"Meredith, put your daughter on the table before she screams the room down," Richard begged, trying to stop Evelyn from crying while trying to escape the death grip she was caught in.

Doctor Grey let the three year old out of her arms and collapsed into the nearest chair. Evelyn was happy to walk around on the large table and stop in front of everyone to stare at them or ask random questions once she had settled down.

The rest of the room was silent; only Meredith was sitting, everyone else was standing around the table.

"Well, well, well, the prodigal resident returns," Doctor Bailey broke the silence.

Meredith raised her head to look her former mentor in the eye and smiled.

"What is she doing here?" Christina asked, her voice full of malice and hatred.

All eyes turned to Christina, then to Chief Webber when he spoke.

"Doctor Grey us returning as our new Neuro fellow," Dr Webber answered calmly. "She starts again tomorrow with the rest of you."

The room was silent except for Evelyn's footsteps on the wooden table.

"And who is she?" Addison asked quietly, fearing the answer and consequent explanation.

"She's my daughter, Addison," Meredith said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"How old is she?" Mark Sloan asked.

"Three years," Meredith looked at the date, "Tomorrow, actually."

"So she's why you left."

Meredith looked up into his eyes; the same ones she wished she could have been seeing for the last three years herself; the same eyes her daughter had inherited.

"I left when I found out I was pregnant, Derek. As much as I wanted to raise her here with my family, I couldn't or wouldn't have been able to deal with the gossiping and the rumours, so I transferred to Florida. Miami Beach Memorial, to be exact."

The room remained silent. Evelyn, tired of the lack of attention, sat down in the middle of the table and began to sing randomly.

"You fled," Derek responded.

"But I don't understand why!" Izzie exclaimed. "We would have helped you, loved her like our own. Didn't you want that for Evelyn? Didn't you think she'd want a loving family for herself?"

"Don't you think I know that?!?!" Meredith yelled in return. "Do you know how many times I have wished all of you were with me; how I wished I was here? Do any of you know how hard it is to raise a little girl on your own?"

"You could have called."

"The last time I spoke to you I was still pregnant. I couldn't bring myself to call you…"

"Why?"

The simple question from her McDreamy stopped her world. She turned to Derek.

"I felt ashamed, Derek. I was pregnant with your child and I couldn't stand the shameful looks I would have been getting from everyone."

They all stared at her again.

"You mean she's mine? I'm Evelyn's father?"

Meredith smacked her hand to her mouth.

"I have never told anyone she was yours," she whispered with her head bowed in shame. "I named her after your parents; Evelyn for your mother and Michaela for your father."

"Evelyn Michaela Shepherd; has a nice ring to it."

"It's Evelyn Michaela _Grey_, actually."

The people standing around the conference table continued to watch the exchange in silence, and were surprised when Meredith picked up her daughter by her arms and left the room.

Meredith did not stop until she reached the place she knew no one would look; Derek's office.

* * *

They would search the on call rooms, locker rooms, supply closets and bathrooms, but they wouldn't check his office. And she wasn't leaving unless Evelyn gave away their hiding spot.

Meredith sighed. His couch was very comfortable and still smelt like lavender. He had obviously sprayed it or something to remind him of her scent. To Meredith, the familiar scent of lavender, one she had stopped using when she fled, was the sign she had been looking for; the sign that she belonged here, at home in Seattle.

She sat on his couch, soaking up Derek's own scent, and began to cry. Meredith honestly did not think that everyone except Richard, and probably Miranda Bailey, would hate her so much for leaving. She especially thought Christina and Izzie would understand, because she knew Derek wouldn't.

Her own tears evoked a renewed emotion in Meredith's heart; love. She had not felt this lonely since before Evelyn was born, but now that she returned home, Meredith could not bear to be here without Derek's love.

She needed him to survive. He was the love of her life, and the father of their daughter, albeit one he just met. But she could not live without him, and he needed to know how she felt.

Leaving their baby to sleep on his couch, Meredith stood up and approached his wooden desk, before placing herself in his worn leather chair. It felt good to finally be surrounded in him for the first time in years, but now all she really wanted was Derek.

She picked up the telephone on his desk and dialled the familiar cell phone number she had memorised years before.

"_Hello?"_ he answered.

"Derek, it's me," she whispered in return.

"_Mere…"_

"Shhh, I don't want them to know where I am. Come to your office quietly so we can talk."

She hung up the phone, not waiting for his response, and fell back into his chair, waiting for him to show up.

Meredith knew he would, because his love for her always had been pure, and because he needed her to survive as much as she needed him.

* * *

The people in the conference room sat in complete silence, shock written all over their faces.

"Well it's about time Grey grew some balls," Alex said, braking the silence. "And her kid really is cute."

"I have to go find her," Derek muttered, racing out of the room.

He paused at the door and turned to look at the rest of them. "Well? Are you coming?"

Everyone else slowly made their way towards him in an effort to find their friend. Everyone except Christina.

"You guys go ahead, you won't find her. She'll stay where she is until she wants to be found."

Derek ignored her and raced off down the corridor.

"We need to check the on call rooms, supply closets and bathrooms!" George called after him. Nobody had seen Derek this alive since Meredith left.

* * *

Derek sat at his usual table in the cafeteria, head in his hands, wondering where the hell his daughter and her mother were.

"You okay, Shep?" Mark asked quietly as he sat down in an empty chair beside him.

Derek moaned. "I need to know where she is, Mark. I need to know if she's okay; if they're both okay…"

Mark looked at Derek's face. Sure, his friend had opened up to him since Meredith had left, but Mark had never seen him in this state before. So sad, so… heartbroken.

Before Mark could say anything to comfort him, Derek's phone rang in his pocket.

"_Hello?"_ he answered.

"Derek, it's me," the other person whispered.

"_Mere…"_

"Shhh, I don't want them to know where I am. Come to your office quietly so we can talk."

The line went dead and Derek stared at the screen.

"Was that Mere?" Mark asked.

Derek only nodded. "She wants me to come to my office so we can talk. I think that's where she's hiding."

Mark smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Do you want me to tell the other's we've found her?"

"No!" he immediately responded. "Don't tell them where I am; we'll come out when she's ready."

Mark watched in awe as Derek rose from the chair and put on an act to skulk off to his office to finally meet his daughter.

* * *

Well, I'm ending the chapter there. Next time, we'll see just what Meredith has to say, and how Evelyn takes the news that she finally has a daddy. And we'll see just how far everyone moved on, relationship wise, while the Grey's were in Florida.

Please, please, please don't forget to review, I would like to know just how much you guys like it.


	2. Chapter 2

What You Come Back To

So this is chapter two, in which we'll see just what Meredith has to say, and how Evelyn takes the news that she finally has a daddy. And we'll see just how far everyone moved on, relationship wise, while the Grey's were in Florida.

And beware, the funny little at sign for emails doesn't work on here, and the impending IM conversation is so much better on my laptop!

**GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA**

"Alex, Ava's on the phone!" Christina called out from the nurses' station she was standing at. "She and the cookie monster want to know if you'll be home for dinner tonight!"

Alex came out of the nearest exam room to grab the phone from Christina.

"Hey honey… yeah, I don't know if I'll be home… you remember my friend Meredith? Yeah, the one that ran away… she's back… and she has a daughter… okay, I'll tell you tomorrow when I get home… love you too, bye."

Alex Karev turned around to see Christina, George and Izzie staring at him.

"What? I'm not allowed to love my wife?"

They chuckled and turned around. "Whatever you say, evil spawn…"

Karev, who had followed Addison's advice and become an OB/GYN resident, stood by the phone for a few more seconds before running off after his friends, who had already reached the end of the corridor.

"At least we don't have any problems with kids of the crack whore!' he called, making Christina turn around and wait for him.

"I know, because I'm smart enough not to have them!" she retorted with an evil grin.

Alex shook his head. This was something they went through every day, and he wouldn't change it for a moment.

**GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA**

Derek snuck into his office where Meredith was hiding.

"Mere?" he asked. His office chair spun around slowly and Meredith appeared, her eyes tired, her face red and cheeks stained with tears.

"Oh, Mere," he gushed, rushing over to hug her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him pick her up. Derek sat down on his chair cradling the fragile woman in his lap. He rocked her gently as she cried into his shoulder.

"Shhh," he whispered, soothing her as he rocked gently on the chair.

They sat there for a few minutes while she calmed down.

"Der," she whispered into his scrub top. "I'm sorry for not telling you about Evelyn; and I'm sorry for running away. I… I thought you would be mad at me, and I couldn't handle the guilt. I know you and Addie were divorced when I left, but I still couldn't help feeling guilty…"

She burst into tears again, but instead of hugging her, Derek grabbed Meredith by the shoulders and pulled her around to face him.

"Mere, I love you in a big let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, throw you a birthday party in bed, stand outside your window with a radio on my shoulder kinda way. I'm not mad at you for running and avoiding, it's that thing you do; and the avoiding is something I can help you with, but you gave to trust me.

"Now with Evelyn, I'm so happy I have a daughter, even if you kept me from her, because she's ours. Yes, I missed all the milestones and the pregnancy and everything, but when we have more kids, I'll be able to make up for that. Mere, I want to marry you, I want you to be my wife, because I love you and you're my soul mate and now I'm rambling, but that's not the point.

"Meredith Elizabeth Grey, I love you so much it hurts sometimes… okay, it hurts most of the time, and when you were gone I was a different man. So I hope you'll accept me as I am, because I know you love me, and as Evelyn's father, I would like, with all my heart, to be a part of both of your lives."

Meredith stared at Derek, her eyes full of shock. A worried look rippled across his face.

"Meredith?" he asked, not sure where this as going.

Suddenly, she smiled and hugged him again. "Derek, I love you too, and I want you to actively be Evelyn's daddy, not just her father; so I'm saying yes to that proposal. I'm making it clear; we are not engaged from that. I want something romantic and unexpected and whatever; and you need to ask Evelyn for permission, because Richard already knows how much you love me.

"As for the more kids thing; wait until after we're married, because I'll happily let you do all the midnight feedings and changing's and everything you missed out on, but not for a while."

They sat in silence for a moment, both smiling and grinning widely at each other.

Meredith decided to break the silence. She had three and a half years of gossip to catch up on.

"So what's happening with everyone? I though Addison moved to LA?"

"Addison was fed up with the perils of private practice within six months so she packed up and moved back here. Mark stayed in Seattle, and gave up his manwhore tendencies to prove to Addie that he's worth her love. She is in the process of forgiving him and conceding to her feelings, but she won't tell anyone or admit that she loves him too."

"What about Bailey and the other residents?"

"Miranda has been promised Chief when Richard retires permanently; until then, she has taken up many of his responsibilities and knows very well how to keep the whole surgical staff in line. As for your friends, Alex and Izzie took up OB/GYN, and Alex married Ava. Christina's in cardio and George took general surgery. He and Callie are still married and have two year old twin boys. Christina is still single but the new cardio attending has his eyes on her. No one knows officially what's going on with Izzie, but the rumour mill has many ideas should you decide to listen to them."

Meredith giggled at that. "Yeah, everybody by now should know how truthful the nurses can be… NOT!"

They both sat in content in Derek's office for a further few minutes, only separating when Evelyn rose from the couch.

"Mommy?" she asked tiredly, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

Meredith reluctantly pushed herself out of Derek's comfortable embrace and walked over to her daughter. "What's up baby?"

Evelyn looked around for a minute before raising her arms in the classic 'up' motion. Obediently, Meredith placed Evelyn on her hip and walked back over to Derek.

She looked at him, then back to her mother, then looked at him for a second time. "Who dat?"

Meredith smiled. "Evelyn, honey, this is Derek. Do you remember what I told you about your daddy?"

The little girl nodded, shooting cautious glances at the man.

"Well, the reason why we came back to Seattle was because mommy needed to say hello to someone, and they wanted to meet you too."

"Daddy," Evelyn smiled and nodded.

"That's right. And do you want to know who your daddy is?"

Evelyn nodded but continued to stare at Derek. "Dewek daddy?" she asked.

Meredith smiled and hugged her. "Yes, baby, Derek is your daddy. Is that okay?"

Evelyn pondered her mother's question for a minute before smiling widely and clapping her hands above her head. "Daddy!" she squealed.

Both parents laughed.

"I think you know your answer, Der," Meredith smiled, passing Evelyn into his arms. "Meet your daughter, Evelyn Michaela…"

"Grey," he cut her off. "Yeah, I know."

Mere stopped short. "No, I was about to say Shepherd, but if you want me to leave her name as is…"

Derek smiled. "No, her name is perfect. Now there's only one other girl in my life who I want to share my name with."

**GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA**

Mark continued to sit in the cafeteria and watch as the rest of the surgical staff, sans the ones with patients of their own, search for Meredith and the mini-Grey.

He sighed and sipped the bone dry macchiato one of the interns had fetched for him minutes before. A close blur of movement forced him to refocus his view to the person now sitting next to him.

"Hi, Mark."

"Hi, Addie," he greeted, a smile instantly appearing on his face. Addie Montgomery would always be the love of his life, no matter how idiotic he acted.

"You know something," she said, placing her hand in his between the chairs. "Spill."

He sighed again. "Meredith called Derek on his cell before from his office. She wanted to talk to him about the mini-Grey."

Addison smiled. "At last, that girl is finally coming to her senses and he'll change. Do you think we should go and open up the house to surprise them?"

Mark looked Addie directly in the eye. "That house has been closed since he furnished it… do you know how much dust that is?"

"With Izzie, Alex, Ava and the cookie monster living in Mere's house, do you really think there'll be enough room for three more of them in there?"

Mark replied with another sigh. "Touché; but should we surprise them now or wait until later?"

"Surprise who with what when?" Christina Yang was standing behind them, hands on her hips and an angry look on her face. "Are you gonna tell me, or will I have to beat it out of you?"

Mark stood up to face her slyly. "You don't scare me, Yang," he said simply before walking off.

Addison rose to follow him. "Try Derek's office, but I suggest you knock first."

Christina stood in their wake for a minute, thinking, before a better idea popped into her head and she ran off towards her own office, texting her friends as she ran.

**GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA**

McDreamy forever is signed on (Derek.Shepherd at Beast has signed on (Christina.Yang at Beast: yo mcdreamy, haul ur ass out and bring the runner with you

McDreamy forever: yang, sorta busy right now, leave a message

Chief Resident Beast: I know you have mere and the mini-Grey with you. Quit hiding

McDreamy forever: how did you know

McSteamy has signed on (Mark.Sloan at forever: im gonna kill u mark

Satan has signed on (Addison.Forbes.Montgomery at forever: okay, who told?!?!

McSteamy: um, I didn't tell anyone…

Satan: liar! Mark told me

McDreamy forever: but how did yang find out

Chief Resident Beast: ask the she-shepherd

Satan: ex she-shepherd

McDreamy forever: ex she-shepherd

McSteamy: ex she-shepherd!

Chief Resident Beast: fine, ask Satan

McDreamy forever: Addie, who told?

Cookie Monster has signed on (Alex.Karev at Monster: yo, mcdreamy, don't you know how to share

Chief Resident Beast: Karev, aren't you supposed to be tending babies

Cookie Monster: don't you have better things to do crack whore

Chief Resident Beast: shut it evil spawn

McDreamy forever has signed out

McSteamy: oh fine then, don't say goodbye

Chief Resident Beast: mcass

Old kid, same block has signed on (guest at Beast: who the hell are you?

Cookie Monster: don't you know this is a private conversation

Satan: sgh staff only

Old kid, same block: you all know me

McSteamy: OMG… Meredith?!?!

Chief Resident Beast: not talking to you

Old kid, same block: just hear me out!!

Cookie Monster: one chance only grey

Satan: guys, lets hear her out, its only fair

McSteamy: oh mere, the dmc was lonely without you

Old kid, same block: im sorry for leaving! I thought it was for the best

Baby lover has signed on (Isobel.Stevens at kid, same block: if it makes a difference, I wish I was here…

Baby lover: that doesn't make much of a difference

Old kid, same block: Izzie! I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you

Cookie Monster: you didn't only hurt her

Chief Resident Beast: still not talking to you bitch

Old kid, same block: Christina, what about that time when I covered your ass because of burke and the non-wedding?

McSteamy: oohh, bitchy. I like it!

Satan: mark, grow up and shut up

Baby lover: that was a low blow, mere, even for you

Chief Resident Beast: we don't talk about that

Old kid, same block: well, we're not talking about me either. Moving was the biggest mistake of my life, but I love evelyn more than anything. I hope you can accept that.

Old kid, same block has signed out

Cookie Monster: wow… that was deep

Satan: I believe her, I think we should forgive her. Everyone makes mistakes right

McSteamy: I must admit, derek's been miserable without her

Baby lover: I miss having her here

Cookie Monster: me too. I'm gonna talk to her

Cookie Monster has signed out

McSteamy: yang, what do you think

Chief Resident Beast: I still hate her

Baby lover: we know

Satan: trust me, we know

Chief Resident Beast: but I miss my person

McSteamy: we all miss her

The Nazi has signed on (Miranda.Bailey at Nazi: what are you fools doing on this all day? Don't you have better things to do, like maybe SAVING LIVES?

Chief Resident Beast: yes, dr bailey

Chief Resident Beast has signed out

Baby lover: um… is that my pager? Bye

Baby lover has signed off

The Nazi: damned fools… well… Sloan… Montgomery… move!

McSteamy: yes dr bailey. Bye

McSteamy has signed off

Satan: talk to you later Miranda

Satan has signed off

The Nazi: oh, I bet you will

The Nazi has signed off

**GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA**

Meredith walked into the daycare centre on the third floor with Evelyn in her arms.

"Hi there, can I help you?" one of the teachers asked.

"Yes; I'm Doctor Grey and this is my daughter Evelyn," Meredith said.

"Well Doctor Grey, my name is Melissa and I'm assuming you would like to place Evelyn in our care?" Melissa asked nicely, the wide smile on her face widening.

Meredith nodded. "You do have a place, don't you?" she asked as the teacher walked towards an office.

"Of course," Melissa responded, motioning for the doctor to follow her. "This centre is only for the children of SGH staff, so we have many available spots."

"Oh good," Meredith sighed. "Is there anything I have to fill out?"

Melissa nodded, pulling a folder out. "This will be your folder; if you ever need to admit other children into our care, we'll just give you some new forms, but it's only one folder per family. I just need you to fill out the admission, medication, security and profile forms for Evelyn; and you also need to register the people who will be allowed to pick her up as we can only sign her in and out from an adult who is authorised by you personally."

Meredith placed Evelyn on the floor next to where she was. "That's good," she responded while filling out the forms. "At the moment it will only be her father and I that will be able to do that, but later on, once we're settled in, I'll extend the list for my friends."

"Not a problem, just make sure that you tell us personally and you sign their name on the security form."

Meredith just nodded as Evelyn ran after a couple of other young girls who were playing with dolls in the corner.

Derek stood in the hallway at the glass window separating him from his daughter and watched her play innocently while Meredith was at the desk.

"She's gorgeous," Mark's voice came from beside him.

"Yeah," Derek replied, his eyes not moving from Evelyn. "They both are."

"You really love her don't you?"

"With all my heart," Derek answered immediately. His pager suddenly sounded. "Damn, the Chief wants to see me."

Mark laughed. "Yeah, he's probably going to ask when the wedding is."

"Not funny Mark," he laughed as he walked off towards the elevator.

**GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA**

Christina Yang sat in the cafeteria, Izzie, Alex and George around her. They weren't looking at anything, but each was lost in their own thoughts.

"I can't believe she's back," Izzie said, sitting down with her tray. "After all this time, she just has the nerve to come back!"

"She does have her reasons, you know," Alex replied. "And she was scared."

"She was avoiding; that's all she ever does when something goes wrong," Christina muttered. "But if we all run off when shit happens, who's left to clean up the mess?"

"That's so true," Izzie seconded, raising the lettuce on her fork up in agreement.

"Has anyone even bothered to talk to her yet?" Alex asked, leaving his food untouched.

"Uh, NO!" the girls answered sharply.

"I, um, haven't had the chance yet," George muttered.

"Well don't you think that someone else should hear her side of the story, like maybe you, Bambi?" Alex half yelled at him.

"What have you got against George?" Izzie asked, this time with lettuce actually in her mouth.

"Nothing!" Alex tried to defend himself. "It's just, with you all hating her, I thought that maybe _someone_ other than me could hear her side of the story and try to forgive her!"

The others sat in silence staring at Alex.

"Is that too much to ask?" he muttered, finally turning his attention to the egg and lettuce sandwich in the tray in front of him. They just sat there staring at him open-mouthed.

"What?" he asked, egg in his teeth.

"Since when have you been so buddy-buddy with the runaway?" Christina asked straight out.

"Since everyone, including you crack whore, deserves a second chance, _from everyone_!"

"What are you fools doing here arguing over Meredith?"

The four fellows stopped arguing and looked up to see Miranda Bailey standing over them, hands on hips with a scowl on her face.

"Excuse me?" Christina asked, her voice still full of poison. "She is not my friend."

"No," Bailey answered. "She's your damn person, and she was the one person that could actually hold you lot together."

"But…" Izzie started.

"But what, Stevens?" Bailey cut her off. "So what if she ran away because she was scared? The point is she came back!"

"That's exactly what the evil twins don't understand," Alex muttered under his breath.

"Shut up Karev. Now, you two," she pointed her finger at Izzie and Christina, "have to go find her and at least talk to her without throwing insults around. O'Malley, make up your own damn mind and stop listening to these fools."

Alex sat there with a smug grin on his face while the other three sat in shock staring at their boss.

"Well, what are you still doing here? Move!" Bailey ended up standing next to Alex as her victims scattered in different directions.

"Thanks," Alex said quietly, patting Miranda on the shoulder as he rose and left.

"I didn't do that for you."

**GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA**

Ok, you guys don't know how hard that was for me to write. Next chapter shouldn't be as long, but it'll still take ages to write. Reviews put ideas in my head and make me write faster! Hint hint!


	3. Chapter 3

What You Come Back To

So this is chapter three, in which I try to write myself out of the hole I wrote myself into in the last chapter. Oh, does Ava/Rebecca's baby daughter have a name???

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Meredith sat in the gallery later that afternoon, quietly watching Derek perform a craniotomy while contemplating her new job back at the hospital, among other things. Evelyn was still in the day care centre, so she was all alone when George came in and sat beside her.

"Hi," he whispered, not looking at her, but at Derek.

"Hi," she replied.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I missed you," George said suddenly. "Why did you leave?"

Meredith sighed and turned to look at him. "Because I couldn't handle everything; the rumours, the dirty looks, you know. At least in Florida no one talked about me, but that was because they were scared. I was the best neuro resident they had there, and I was respected."

George smiled and returned the friendly gaze. "I would have stood up for you. Alex too."

"Yeah, I know that, but having you guys there for me wouldn't have changed the fact that Addison and Mark and Derek and the nurses would all be talking and lots of dirty looks and rumours would be going around. I didn't want to jeopardise your careers and everything just so I could be happy, which I wouldn't have been." She took a breath and turned her gaze back to Derek. "I really regret leaving, but for Evelyn's benefit, I'm sorta glad I did. I hope you can understand that."

They fell silent for a minute, both thinking about their respective lives.

"Tell me what I missed," Meredith said impulsively, turning to face George. "Tell me about your wife and kids."

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Derek looked up from the brain he was tending to see Meredith and George in the gallery, talking to each other, both smiling and looking at ease with each other. He smiled to himself under the mask as he returned his attention to the man on the table. He was glad to see that Meredith was trying to make up with her old friends, even if she had to overcome serious obstacles on the way.

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Christina Yang stood in the door of the gallery watching George, the traitor, talk to Meredith. She couldn't believe that George would be the first one to 'make nice' with the runaway, but in some way, she had a feeling it would be either him or Alex. That was after McDreamy, of course.

Christina couldn't help overhearing what the pair were talking about, and the particular comment made her sick once she overheard it.

"…So what did we miss out on? You know, the important stuff; first step, first word, the sentimental baby stuff," George asked.

She watched Meredith sigh. "Evelyn took her first step at 10 and a half months; her first word was 'mama', and that was it for at least a month after that; she was somewhat potty trained at 7 months, and completely independent by age 2…"

Meredith trailed off and George sighed, knowing he'd have to prompt her.

"Favourite toy?"

"A cuddly white Russ bear named Ted."

"Favourite book?"

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar."

"Favourite food?"

"Chocolate cake, fairy bread, watermelon, spaghetti bolognaise and chocolate tiny teddies. She hates the honey ones and any green food."

"Okay, favourite movie?"

"That's a tie between _The Little Mermaid_ and _Aladdin_."

"Favourite TV show?"

"_Sesame Street_."

Christina scoffed at that admission and had to express her opinion. "You've got to be kidding! You actually let your child watch that crap?"

George looked horrified at her comment. "Christina!" he almost screamed.

"No, it's okay George, I can handle whatever she has to say," Meredith assured him.

"Oh, so now you can handle me?" Christina asked in a patronizing voice. "What about when you left; couldn't you handle me then?"

Meredith dropped her head into her hands. "I don't want to talk about that any more, Christina," she mumbled. "I made a mistake, okay! I admit that. You of all people need to get over yourself so we can both do our jobs properly!"

Yang smiled from the doorway she was leaning on. "Nice to have you back, Mere," she said.

Meredith looked up and smiled.

"But you still need to earn your place in the food chain."

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"What was that argument about with Yang in the gallery?" Derek asked once they reached his office several hours later. He tiredly threw his favourite scrub cap on his desk, rubbed his eyes and fell onto the couch, beckoning for Meredith to join him.

"The Chief resident doesn't agree with my choice of television programs to let my daughter watch. She thinks _Sesame Street_ is not an appropriate show for a young child to teach them about some of the harder points in life."

Derek sighed. "She's just jealous. For the first few months after you left, she bitched about you leaving and was constantly voicing her opinion of your running; that stopped after Izzie grew a backbone and screamed at her. I just think that she was jealous. Christina had a suspicion that you were pregnant, and the running confirmed it. She only told me this after you came back; but she was jealous of you."

Meredith was almost shocked. "Christina Yang, jealous of me?"

Derek nodded. "Yep. After her non-wedding, the only part of Preston she had left was her memories; I think she was jealous of you because you ran, but you had a part of me with you, and that was what she wanted; a part of Burke to have for herself."

Meredith sat in silence, processing the shock of Derek's admission and all that meant for her. "I think I need to talk to her. She is her godmother, you know. I might have named her after your parents, but if anything happens to both of us, I think Christina's really the only person I can trust to screw her up the right way."

Derek laughed at her last comment. "The right way?"

Meredith nodded. "The way I would want her to be screwed up; you know, pretty much living in the hospital, going to all the best schools that feed into Dartmouth and Stanford, the whole nine yards. Christina is the only person who completely understands my dark and twisty-ness properly, and she should be the one to continue the last piece of me Evelyn may have if something were to happen, god forbid."

Derek nodded at her explanation. "I understand, and I think Christina will too if you tell her what you told me. It's something I have again with Mark; after you left, he was the only one I could turn to who wouldn't bite my head off or interrogate me about you, again. So, for that I am grateful, and I would love to name him godfather, if that position hasn't already been appointed."

Meredith smiled. "I was hoping you two would make up some day, so I named him godfather when I named Christina godmother."

The shock on Derek's face alarmed Meredith. "What, that's not okay?"

Derek's face immediately softened. "No, I'm just shocked that you knew."

Meredith laughed at his sincerity. "Of course I knew you two would eventually make nice. I'm a woman; we know everything."

Derek rose and walked towards the door, holding it open for her to exit first. "I'm sure you do, Mere."

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"I'm not sure I'm happy about this," Christina said, slamming the charts down on the nurse's station. "She finally grew a spine and stood up to me."

Izzie looked up from the computer screen she was studying to look at her friend. "Who?" she asked tiredly, her voice barely peaked with interest.

"Who do you think?" the sarcasm in Christina's voice didn't even cause Izzie to break a smile she had heard it that many times before when the Chief Resident was referring to her old best friend.

But Izzie was fed up with it. "Well, maybe you should just get over it, Christina. You're just jealous that she didn't tell you why she left of where she was going, and now you think she's come back to claim the credit for everything you have done! So just get over yourself and apologize to her so I can have some peace at work!"

Christina took a step back and raised her hands in submission. "Fine Barbie, whatever you want." She turned to walk away. "You two should form an 'I've grown a spine' club," she muttered under her breath.

Izzie's jaw dropped as she watched Christina walk away. "Bitch," she muttered under her own breath.


End file.
